Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Magic On The Hunt by Devon Monk

If you don't have the book in front of you, you aren't going to get the full effect of the cover. You can barely see it here, but there are the magic marks on her right arm, just like in the book - and the bands of black on her left arm, just like the book...I just wish that they would show the magic swirls on her face. they're described as going all the way up to her face - the temple and near her eye...just show it, it'd be pretty cool. At least she's not looking too skinny here - there's one cover where she just doesn't look like she's ever done any walking - her main mode of transportation. The rest of the cover is pretty good - the background building, the swirls ....good cover. Best of all, her very cool sword.

From the very first novel, Devon Monk has written a kick-ass series. Magic On the Hunt is no exception to this. I feel like there isn't much for me to say at this point. This is the fifth book in the series, and if you haven't started this series yet, I'm surprised. If you have started reading this series, you won't be disappointed - there is more of what I enjoy about this series. The conversation between the characters - between Shame and Terric, Shame and Zay, Shame and Allie, Allie and Zay, Allie and her father, etc. There were a few tense moments between Allie and Zay - nice to know that their's isn't one of those maddeningly perfect unions where they're constantly gushy at each other. No, they get pissed at each other.

Allie continues to have her father in residence in her brain - even though Victor and Shame try to excorcise him. There is an escape from a supposedly escape proof prison for the magical criminals....and someone breaks into Allies apartment, attacks Allie and Zay in pursuit of another...spoilers.

Allie and Zay go in chase of this attacker(s) and keep finding more and more mayhem. There are a few spots where I started to suspect that Victor isn't all that he seems....but so far he's on the same side as Allie and Zay. I can't say why I get this feeling, I could be very wrong, but it'll be interesting to see in the future what's up with Victor.

Allie and Zay's chase of the attackers is complicated by rules and regulations of the Authority, and then by the complication of outside bigwigs coming to check out what's going on in Portland...

During this search for perps, Allie finds out more about her father, more about her and her memory losses (ARE they all caused by magic use?). Just WHAT kind of father WAS Beckstrom to Allie, anyway? He's still a bit of a mystery, and while portrayed by Allie and others to be evil and ruthless - I wonder if that's there's more to Daniel Beckstrom than that. There seems to be some layers that need to be pulled back.

So much is going on - and even though some things get resolved, there's plenty more that needs to be solved. I feel like this is all very vague, what I've written. But really - to go in depth on any review of these books would be giving out some serious spoilers.

Magic On The Hunt is a satisfying read, plenty of fighting, magical and physical. Lost of snark that's fun to read from Shame. And best of all, there is the continuing presence of the gargoyle, Stone...who has taken a liking to Cody...remember Cody? from book one. He's been living with Allie's best friend, Nola in a magically neutral farm...only they come to visit at a very inopportune time - right when someone is looking for a host for a certain...spirit.

As usual with a Devon Monk novel, I didn't find one slow moment in the book - things seemed to just flow along, from one fight to chase to a fight to ....a lot happens. but ...and this is very sad for me...Zay has lost his dreadlocks. I like dreadlocks.....:( Why couldn't he keep them! sigh.... Those slow moments, almost every book and a lot of movies have them. They're somehow harder to take in a movie, almost enough to make me sleep. In a book, it's enough to make me look up, get up, go get a drink, use the facilities, etc.....when the slow moments are bad enough, or get too frequent, then it's enough to make me put the book aside....one of my quirks...the other quirk is the dialogue thing....So a slow moment in a book isn't always a bad thing...but it can be if not tempered with some good dialogue or interesting narration.

If you've been following the Magic series - make sure you get this one. And Ms Monk has been kind enough to see that we get our Allie fix every six months or so. That's got to be pretty tough - writing that many books - along with her new steampunk(Dead Iron = coming July 2011, just in time for my birthday) , and the anthology (A Cup of Normal) that she released recently.

OH! one more thing. As if writing many books and maintaining a blog, having a family, etc, isn't enough....Devon Monk KNITS. yes. She knits, and she doesn't just knit scarves and blankets...oh no. This woman knits fingerless gloves (ala becksgtrom style), little monsters, etc. as well as Stone, the Gargoyle. Boy, it would be cool to have a knitted Stone Gargoyle to hang out with the Magic books on the bookcase, wouldn't it? I could play with it while I'm reading, making him fly through the air, stack things, attack the grandchildrent and say..."What!...he's a gargoyle, he can't help it!" Could be very fun. Mwhahahahaha.....

Music Sample of Wilken (my son is drummer)

My only reading challenges, so far

Spellcrackers.com

About Me

I work in a K-8th grade library as a library tech (just one of my jobs). I love working with books, almost as much as I love working with children - sometimes more!
I'm part spanish (Panama)part scottish with mixture of other countries thrown in, born in US. Getting a little older, a little wiser and a little crankier.Two grandchildren, four children, one husband (lol- isn't ONE enough?) two dogs and a cat. I love to read, I love to find new books (new to me), and I'm a little obsessive about buying books. I buy them faster than I can read them. I also love to garden, though it's much harder for me to do so now. I still enjoy having a small flower garden.